Friday, January 8, 2010

Look at me, getting all fancy with my plating! But who am I kidding? Dinner actually looked more like this:

Now that's more like it.

That baked corn tortilla in the above photo notwithstanding, I am going pretty light on the carbs for the next couple of weeks. Don't worry, I haven't gone all Atkins on you! Shudder. It's just a temporary post-holiday measure - I could never live without my beautiful breads, savory pies, or pillow-y pastas for too terribly long.

That said, I didn't miss a thing with this meal. The shrimp were tangy, spicy, and juicy mouthfuls, and the guac - just mashed up avocado with a bit of lime juice, salt and pepper - was a fresh, filling, and satisfying companion to my zesty little camarones.

Purists, please don't judge me too harshly for calling this sauce a remoulade! In my defense, it is a cold emulsion with mayonnaise - and there's a bit of crunch, so it's not an aioli. I just decided to take it in a Mexican-ish direction.

This dish is simplicity itself, but so very flavorful, and, if I do say so myself, perfectly balanced. Poppa Trix and I don't watch or follow football, but I have a feeling that this would be a great addition to any Superbowl party. (If there's a Hoarders marathon showing on Superbowl Sunday, you know what we'll be doing!)

This is one of those sauces that you should make according to your own taste - I kept adding ingredients until the spicy/tangy/salty levels were to my liking. For one pound of large shrimp, I started out using about 3 heaping tbsp each of mayo & fresh cilantro, 5 (or so) cloves of fresh garlic, one rib of celery, 1 level tbsp - or so!- dried chipotle chilies (start with less depending on how spicy you like it), a couple of squeezes of lime juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt & pepper. Whizz it up in the food processor and keep tasting and adding, tasting and adding. I didn't want to add too many ingredients, but rather let each flavor both stand out and come together in the sauce.

For juicy just-right shrimp, you'll want to buy them tail- and shell-on. Get a big pot of water boiling, and let it boil for 15-20 minutes. Turn the water off, and as soon as it stops boiling put the shrimp in. Let them sit in the hot water for 3-4 minutes until they're an opaque pinkish-white. That's all it takes! (Of course you should check one to make sure they're done before you take them out of the water.) Immediately plunge them into an ice water bath until cool, then take them out, peel, pat dry, and toss with the sauce.

I served mine with corn tortillas that I had brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt, and baked in a 350-degree oven until crispy - the perfect vessels for homemade guacamole!

Ah, so you're the kind of vegetarian who eats shrimp (says the chick who will eat any type of meat you put in front of her in a hypocritically judgmental tone)? Well, at least you're not the kind of vegetarian who likes football ;)

@vegetablematter: now why didn't I think of that?@chickenless chick: i never did say i was a vegetarian! i am an open-minded rapacious pescetarian, in fact ;) @scott: me too!@chef shari: thanks! yes, the 4 little shrimps are nice for a photo, but not for my belly!

Love the plating, and I'm talking about the plating with EVERYTHING on there! A meal is not complete until you've got all the goodies. Way to go to make the Remoulade Mexican-ish. The flavors sound super-yummy,